Flexible floor covering and process of making the same



it M ED @FFICE,

EDWIN M. THEMES, '01! IDEDHAM, AND JAMES F. ,MAGUIRE, 01E NORWOOD, MASSA- GH'USETIS, ASSIGNORS 1'0 BIRD & SON, ENG, U]? EAST WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS,

A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

. FLELE FLOOR) GCVEEG AND PRUCESS F MAKHQ'G THE SAME.-

Ito Drawing.

This invention relates to a flexible floor covering of the felt base t e and the process of making the same. t principally concerns a floor covering having a felt base saturated 'with a suitable hydrocarbon or semi-solid bituminous material and having an ornamental wearing surface.

According to present commercial practice, felt base floor covering is manufactured W from felt saturated with an asphalt which binds theifibres together, the felt base strength and adapting it to resist moisture. The next operation, following a.

suitable interval for the cooling of the felt,

is the application of an undercoatloverthe saturated base. A necessary function of an unde 'coat is to form a suitable barrier be? tween the saturated base andzthe surface coat of the floor covering, thesurface coat 9 being applied to the undercoat to make up the wearing surface and design of the floor covering It is necessary that an under- -coat have a smooth, non-porous, flexible surface, and be substantially free from discolor- 2 ation The material commonly used, at pres-' cut, for an undercoat consists of an ordinary oil paint including pigments, drying or in the drying ovens due to their volatile and inflaable characteristics; lin the ef-v fort to provide asphaltic 'surfaces'with a hter colored film or layer by applying an ordinary oil paint to the same, the softening action of the thinner above referred to on theasphaltic surface has resulted in a discoloration of the layer of oil paint, and has pitch. waxes, resin and/or drying oils, an

this invention are: the coating shows very .mediately after it comes from the saturating Application filed tlctober 25, W26. Serial No. 144,172.

also rendered the latter permeable so that the second or surface coat (if one is applied) has. also been. stained.

This invention contemplates, in the manu facture of felt base floor coverings, the employment of a coating or undercoat made up 'of the usual pigments to give the desired color, a binder consisting of pitch (animal or vegetable), drying oils or combinations odf emulsifying or blending the same "in an aqueousthmner, as hereinafter more fully described; "Wire advantages'in the manufacture of floor coverings in accordance with sli ht penetration into the saturated base and does not soften the same; an effective barrier or shut-off layer able to resist the base saturant is formed between the, saturated felt base and the surface coat that the saturant of the base is thereby isolatedand unable to readily penetrate this barrier layer or appreciably stain it or the surface coat; the undercoat forms a smooth, nonporous, flexible surface, or foundation c'oat of uniform color u on which (if desired) a surface layer may e readily placed; in the manufacture of this floor covering the coating' may be applied to the sheet of felt imvat in a heated condition without danger as thevcoating is non-inflammableand nonexplosifire; a reduction in cost of floor coverlng because a cheaper base-saturant may. be used and because of the elimination of dangerous volatile thinning mediums. The floor covering may be provided with a backing coating of similar character which provides a hard, smooth, water-resistant surtacethat is able to resist the base saturant, and efiect-ively seal the same in the felt.

' In order that the invention may be clearly understood, one set of ingredients in proportions with which excellent results have course, understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the particular ingredicuts and proportions recited except as required by the claims. We preferably effect a blending of the oil in the water constituent of the coating by the use ,of a finelydivided insoluble emulsifying or blending medium, such,, for example, as colloidal clay or carbon black, or, a finely-divided insoluble emulsifying agent together with a suitable soluble emulsifying agent such as sodium oleate. We also may use a resinous body, which should preferably be introduced into the mixture other than by means of the oil, or its equivalent, in the mixture, for the reason that if introduced by way of the oil, itis diflicult to keep the resinous matter from separating out of the mixture. We preferably introduce a resin by means of a carrying medium which permits the introduction of a considerable amount of free resin. alkaline resinate has been found to be a practical medium for introducing free resin though it may be introduced in other ways, for examp1e,.by means of the blend ing agent. The alkaline" resinate itself, when used, also operates as a blending agent.

As a specific and preferred example of how the invention may be practiced, we give thefollowing: In an ordinary pony mixer or any apparatus capable of giving good agitation, is put warm water at about a temperature of 150 F. This temperature should not be materially exceeded, as to do so causes excessive foaming later in the process. We then add to the water colloidal clay, carbon black, or any material capabl of acting as a blending or emulsifying agent for the fatty body in the water,the aque- '-ous dispersing medium, as distinguished from emulsifying the water in the fatty body. We next add a resin (free or combined), preferably an alkaline resinate and water containing a considerable percentage of free resin. We next slowly add a suitable pitchy or fatty body, for example, stearin. or a heavy bodied drying oil such as linseed oil, chinawood oil, fish oil, or the like, or a combination of these, and allow this to become thoroughly agitated and dispersed in the water, etc., in the mixer. We then add and mix a pigment or combination of pigments, e. g., ochre, oxide of iron, limestone, etc., and the coating composition is ready for application in mobileafluid condition. A

table of proportions of the above pre'ferred ingredients is as follows:

V Per cent. Limestone 36.5 Ochre 20.5, Oil 10.4 Sodium resinate 5.6 Colloidal clay 2.0 Water- 25.0

fully set as well known in the art.

the undercoat or coats have been applied and 105 A table of 1 proportions wherein sodium oleate, a soluble emulsifying agent, replaces a portion of the colloidal clay jsas fol-lows:

Percent.

Water 25.0

Following the saturation of the base and the removal of the excess of saturant in the manner well known in the art, the saturated so web is led over rollers to the deyice for applying the undercoat and. backing. The application maybe readily accomplished by means of passing the felt base through rollers, either or both ofwhich are partially as immersed in a trough containin a mixture substantially as above set 01th, This method of application is so well understood in the art that we do not deem it necessary to describe it in further detail. One striko0 ing difference, however, between the application of the above described composition and the undercoat materials in current use today lies in the fact that the coating herein described may be safely applied to the saturated felt base while the base is still hot, and withoutinjury to the coating. The residual heat serves to drive oil water and permits the material to set sufiiciently so that the sheet may, if desired, be wound up without causing sticking in the roll. In ordinary practice, the material is placed in the drying oven and there hung in loops until After the material suitably dried, a surface or wearing coat may be applied, for example, by printing it on as a design as disclosed in the patent to W aldron, No. 1,145,821, or in any other suitable way. If desired, an ad ditional transparent coating of any suitable character may be added, such as varnish or pyroxylin lacquer.

The foregoing specification discloses animal and "vegetable pitches, oils or waxes either alone or 1n combination and the expression fatty body'as used herein and in the appended claims is used generically to cover all three since they all contain fatty acids or combinations of fatty acids, or both. w I

The specifioexample, above given, of how the invention may be practiced is-regarded, of course, as the preferred form. The oils referred to include combinations of fatty.

acids andtherefore are properly within the term fatty body as used.

For the purpose of simplifying the disclosure of-the invention, we have arbitrarily spoken'of this coating as an emulsion, and,

for practicalreasons,disregard in this description or specification, and claims, the degree or degrees of disperson, and whether the constituents, or any of them, are strictly and chemically speaking in molecular solution, colloidal solution, or in suspension; or, strictly and chemically speaking, soluble or insoluble. f V

This application is a continuation in part of an earlier application, Serial No. 103,636, filed April 21, 1926, the broad claims for the subject matter common to the two applications being presented in the first application.

We claim a 1. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material, and an imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base, consisting of a major portion of pigment, and'including a resin, pigment, a fatty body, and a finely-divided insoluble emulsifying agent,'said imperferate coating being adhesive to said base and resistant to the bituminous material of the same.

2. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material,

an imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base, consisting of a ma or portion of pigment, and including a resin, pigment, a fatty body, and a finely-divided insoluble emulsifying agent, and an additional coating of paint applied to said imperforate coating, said imperforate coating being adhesive to said base and to said additional coating, and being adapted to form an impermeable flexible barrier between the same.

3. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material, and an imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base, consisting of a major portion of pigment, and including an alkaline resinate, pigment, a fatty body, and a I finely-divided insoluble emulsifying agent, said imperforate coating being adhesive to said base and resistant to the bituminous material of the same.

4. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material, an imperforate coating applied to one surface of said base, consisting of a major portion of pigment, and including an alkaline resinate, pigment, a fatty body, and a finelydivided insoluble emulsifying agent, and an additional coating of paint applied to said imperforate coating, said imperforate coating being adhesive to said base and to said additional coating, and being adapted to form an impermeable flexible barrier be-- tween the same. V a

5. A flexible floor covering comprising a base saturated with bituminous material,

an lmperforate coating applied to one sur-..'

face of said base, consisting of a major por tion of pigment, and including a resin, pig- 'ment, a fatty body. colloidal clay emulsifying agent, and an additional coating of paint- 6. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering'which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous mate- 'rial, applying to one surface of said base a non-inflammable, non-viscous, aqueous mixture, including a resin, pigment, a dispersed fatty body, and a finely-divided insoluble emulsifying agent, and drying the same.

7. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base "of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous material,'applying to one surface'of said base, a non-inflammable, non-viscous, aqueous mix ture, including a resin, pigment, a dispersed fatty body, and a finely-divided insoluble emulsifying agent, and dryin the same,and then applying to the drie surface thus formed an additional coating of paint.

8. The process of making asflexible felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a heated semi-solid bituminous material applying to one surface of said base while hot a non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous mixture including a resin, pigment, a dispersed 'fatty body, and a finelydivided insoluble emulsifying agent, and drying the same.

9. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous material, applying to one surface of said base an emulsified non-inflammable, non-Viscous, aqueous mixture includin a resin, a finelydivided insoluble emulsifying agent, pigment 50 to a dispersed fatty body 5 to 35%, and water at least 10%, and then drying the same, whereby an imperforate coating adhesive to said base is formed.

10. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous material, applyin to one surface of said base an emulsifie non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous mixture, including a finely-divided insoluble emulsifying agent, pigment 50 to disp-irsed fatty y 5 to 35%, and

water at least 10%, drying the same whereby an imperforatecoating adhesive to saidbase isformed, and then applying to said coating an additional coating of paint.

11. The process of making a flexible felt base floor-covering which consists in saturating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous material, applying to one surface of said base t emulsifyin an emulsified non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous mixture, including an insoluble agent, pigment 50 to 85%, a dispersed atty body 5 to 35%, and water at'least 10%, and then drying the same whereby an imperforate coating adhesive to said base is formed.

12. The process of making a flexible felt base floor covering which consists in satu- 10 rating the felt forming the base of the floor covering with a semi-solid bituminous material, applying to one surface of said base an emulsified non-inflammable non-viscous aqueous mixture, including soluble and insoluble emulsifying agents, a resin, pigment, a dispersed fatty body, and water, and then dry ing the same whereby an imperfofate coating adhesive to said base is formed.

EDWIN M. LINES. JAMES F. MAGUIRE. 

